LeBron James scored 17 points but Chicago Bulls’ Coby White led the scoring with 36 points in his side’s 146-115 win.
The Chicago Bulls stunned the Los Angeles Lakers 146-115, spoiling superstar LeBron James’s return from a two-week absence with a groin injury.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer James delivered 17 points, six rebounds and four assists in his 31 minutes on court on Saturday.
Luka Doncic, back in action after resting a sore ankle, drilled eight three-pointers on the way to a team-high 34 points, but he ran out of steam in the second half and no one else stepped up.
Austin Reaves, who had also missed action with ankle trouble, scored 25 points. Rui Hachimura, playing limited minutes after missing 12 games with a knee injury, scored five for the Lakers, who are third in the Western Conference.
“That was the worst our defence has looked maybe all year, certainly in the last three months,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
“I don’t know if we assumed because we had everybody back that it was just going to be like it was three weeks ago – that’s just not the way this works.”
Chicago benefitted from 21 Lakers turnovers as well as big games from Coby White and Josh Giddey.
White made six three-pointers and led all scorers with 36 points while Australia’s Giddey delivered a triple-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists.
Giddey also had eight of the Bulls’ 17 steals – finishing two steals shy of a rare quadruple-double.
Rookie Matas Buzelis chipped in 31 points as the Bulls, ninth in the Eastern Conference, continued their push to solidify a spot in the play-in tournament.
Meanwhile, the New York Knicks, third in the Eastern Conference, halted their two-game slide with a 122-103 victory over the league-worst Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks, who have been struggling offensively in the absence of injured Jalen Brunson, were led by 31 points and 11 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns. Mikal Bridges added 27 points and OG Anunoby scored 23.
Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 of his 32 points in the third quarter as the Bucks rallied for a 114-108 victory over the Kings in Sacramento.
In Atlanta, the Hawks used a balanced attack to beat the short-handed Golden State Warriors 124-115.
Trae Young scored 25 points and handed out 10 assists and Onyeka Okongwu added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks, who have won six of their last eight as they jockey for play-in position.
The Warriors, clinging to sixth place in the West and trying to avoid the play-in, were without superstar guard Stephen Curry, who suffered a bruised pelvis in a hard fall on Thursday.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points and Moses Moody added 20, but the Warriors trailed virtually all the way.
NBA STANDINGS UPDATE
NYK (East #3), IND (East #4), MIL (East #5), ATL (East #7), & CHI (East #9) all win pic.twitter.com/v02WaINRiQ
— NBA (@NBA) March 23, 2025
